Deployment and Commissioning of the CERN PS Injection Kicker System for Operation with 2 GeV Beams in Short Circuit Mode

Within the framework of the LHC Injector Upgrade (LIU) project, the feasibility and design of an upgrade of the existing CERN PS proton injection kicker system have been outlined in previous publications already. This paper describes the adjustments of final design choices, testing, and deployment as well as the validation and commissioning of the new 2 GeV injection kicker system. The upgrade pays particular attention to the reduction of pulse reflections unavoidably induced by a magnet in short circuit mode configuration whilst keeping a fast 10⁴ ns rise and fall time. An adapted thyratron triggering system to reduce jitter and enhance thyratron lifetime is outlined. Additionally, improvements to the magnet entry box and the elimination of SF6 gas in the magnet connection box and the associated pulse transmission lines are discussed.